


Akira and the Detective

by pico_chulo



Series: Suou AU [4]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akira Suou, Canon Compliant, Maya Amano & Katsuya Suou are the parents of Persona 5 Protagonist, Sort Of, Suou AU, no beta we die like men, school trip to TV station
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:42:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25736740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pico_chulo/pseuds/pico_chulo
Summary: Akira's school trip to the TV station leads him to meet a strange detective.---Part of the Akira Suou AU series where Persona 2 Maya and Katsuya are the parents.
Series: Suou AU [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1851928
Kudos: 16





	1. Of Pancakes and Rollercoasters

Their class trip to the TV station so far bored Akira to death. The tour itself was alright, definitely better than being stuff in a class all day, but the lady who was leading them didn't tell them much other than the basics, like, “the editing room is where things are edited”. Akira did his best to hold back a yawn. Falling in line with his peers.

It wasn’t his first time around a TV station. When Akira was younger his dad was interviewed from time to time, so Akira’s mom would take Akira to see him. At some point he looked forward to his visits. Since he was so well behaved most adults at the TV stations loved him. But as Akira got older it lost it's charm and he often opted out of visiting to focus on his own studies. Out of pure boredom he went to joke about it to Ryuji and Ann, but caught himself. He was still attempting to hide his family from his friends. 

After the tour, the group was roped into helping around the station. It was exhausting and when they were released, Akira sighed in relief.

Akira, Ryuji and Ann hung out in a hallway. Ryuji and Ann complained loudly about the day, while Akira did his best to just nod. It felt strangely inappropriate to complain about the trip, while they were still there. 

“That reminds me, we get to go home straight from here today.” Ann suggested with a smile. “We don’t spend much time in this area, so why don’t we relax and check out some shops beforehand?”

“That sounds like a great idea.” Akira nodded. He was definitely looking forward to actually having some fun. He felt his bag shuffle behind him as Morgana popped out of it and leaned on Akira's shoulder.

“Ooh! I know a place! I wanna go to that huge pancake-looking place we passed on the way here! It looked delicious! What was that?” 

Akira tilted his head. “Where?”

“Ohhh… You mean Dome Town.” Ryuji explained. “The round part is a baseball stadium, then along the outside they’ve got an amusement park.”

“It’s right in the middle of a business area, but they have some pretty hardcore rides there too.” Ann continued. Akira felt a little queasy, he didn't really enjoy roller coasters. 

“All right. Let’s go! I’ll show you just how courageous I am!” Morgana challenged the group. Akira scratched his head.

“Uh I don't think cats can get on rollercoasters." Akira mentioned. Going on a scary ride doesn’t really prove any kind of courage.” ann

“Really?” Morgana's excitement deflated.

“Yeah that's right. Though you might be able to sneak in if you stay in the bag, but you’d totally puke if you did that.” Ryuji told the fur ball. “But uh… Let’s just go to Dome Town! I’m really feelin’ it now!”

“Me too! My stomach’s ready for roller coasters!” Ann agreed with a bright grin.

Akira held back a sigh, if his friends wanted to go who was he to get in the way? _Besides it might be fun to actually go with friends._

"Excuse me." A voice interrupted the group discussion. Morgana dove into Akira's bag. Across from them was a well-dressed brunette. He held a suitcase and wore a polite smile as he walked over to them. "I couldn't help but notice your uniforms. Are you students of Shujin Academy?”

“Yeah, whaddya want?” Ryuji asked him, a little standoffish. 

“I happened to be passing by, so it seemed polite to greet you. We’ll be filming together, after all.” The guy informed them.

"I'm sorry who are you?" Akira asked.

“Ah, where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi.”

The name rang a faint bell to Akira too. But he couldn't quite pinpoint it. Based off Ann's expression, Akira wasn't the only one.“Akechi?” Ann asked. 

“What're you a celebrity?” Ryuji didn't seem to have any recognition of the name.

Akechi laughed lightly. “Only to the extent of appearing on TV a couple of times.” A phone buzzed and Akechi pulled his out. His eyes widened as he checked the time. “Oh my apologies, I truly was just passing by. I must be going. There’s a briefing for tomorrow’s recording that I have to attend." The brunette placed his phone away. "So, you’re going to go have cake now? I missed lunch today, so I’m quite hungry myself…”

“Huh? Cake…? What’re you talkin’ about?” Ryuji tilted his head in confusion.

“Oh, am I mistaken? I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes…” Akechi started to mutter, but then shook off whatever thought was in his brain. A smile returned to his lips. “No matter. Welp, see you tomorrow.”

With a polite wave, Akechi went off. Akira stared for a moment, trying to remember the name. _I've heard it before..._

Ryuji tapped Akira's shoulder to snap him out of thought. "C'mon, let's head to Dome Town!" The blonde grinned. Morgana popped up partially. 

"H-Hey, can we skip the vomit machines and get pancakes instead?" Morgana whispered, almost pleading to Akira. Akira shook his head and muttered back. 

"If I have to do this, you do too."

Together the group went off to Dome Town. 


	2. Of Detectives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira talks to his parents about the trip and Akechi.

Akira was exhausted when he returned home for the night. Morgana still felt sick from the rollercoasters in Dome Town, so he stepped out LeBlanc for a bit. Having some time to kill before Morgana returned, Akira picked up his phone to call his parents. 

“Hi Mom.” Akira spoke leaning back on his sofa. 

“Hi Akira! How was your day?” His mother asked cheerfully. 

Akira smiled. “It was good. We went on a school trip to a TV studio.”

“A TV studio? Well that’s an interesting choice for a trip.” His father commented. His father's voice startled Akira a little. 

_Ah she must’ve put me on speaker._ With a quick brush off of his nerves, Akira continued. “Yeah. It was pretty boring.”

“I bet. We’ve taken you to one loads of times!” His mom reminded him. “Any offers to be a star?”

Akira laughed and shook his head. "I’m afraid not mom.” 

His mother laughed too and then gave a pleasant sigh. "Ah. I remember you got a few when you were younger. You’ve always been so handsome.” 

A pleasant warmth settled in his heart as Akira and his parents chatted. A few times he had to catch himself from talking about Dome Town, but his parents seemed to invested in talking about old memories at the moment. As the conversation continued, a question started to bother Akira. 

_They know about celebrities, maybe..._ Akira nodded and then spoke up. "So I have a question." His parents went quiet. "Do you guys happen to know who Goro Akechi is?" 

There's a moment of silence, longer than Akira had thought necessary. When his mother answered, it was clear that the question held more weight than Akira knew. "Yes. He's sort of a detective." 

"Of sorts?" Akira pressed. 

His father answered this time. "He's still in High School, so not quite what I'd consider a full detective. Why do you ask?" 

"Oh well we're going to TV station tomorrow again and he's filming something that we're helping with." Akira explained. 

There's another reluctant silence. "Have you met him?" 

"Only once. I never directly worked with him... but I don't trust him." His father admitted. A feeling of unease set in as Akira listened to his father. "I can't quite explain it, but his naive upbeat attitude seems superficial and pointless." 

"Is that bad?" Akira's voice quieted to match his father's. 

A frustrated sigh answered him. "No it's not that... I suppose that it just feels like he isn't what he leads on." He sighed again. "Never mind. Just be careful around him." 

"Oh stop being so critical Katsuya!" Any tension was broken when Akira's mother butted in. "Ignore your father Akira. I'm sure he's just not used to being around so young in his field. You know how he is."

Akira did his best to shake off his unease. "Of course." 

"Well have fun tomorrow Akira! Maybe we'll get see you on TV!" His mom tried to lighten the mood. Akira forced himself to smile a little. 

"Ha maybe. Good night." Akira 

"Good night Akira! We love you!" 

"Love you too. Bye." Akira hung up with a sigh. 

"Your parents again huh?" Morgana's voice caused him to jump. He turned to see Morgana glancing up at him. Akira hadn't even noticed his presence until now. 

"Yeah." Akira replied briefly. Even after Morgana had learned about his parents, Akira still found it hard to talk about things. "I asked my dad about Akechi, the guy we met earlier." 

Morgana tilted his head. "Your dad knows him?" 

Akira gave a 'so-so' gesture. "Sort of. By reputation mostly. He doesn't trust him." Akira informed him. Morgana's ear twitched as he sat down. 

"I see. Then we should definitely proceed with caution." 

With an exchange of nods, Akira settled into bed. Morgana curled up by his feet. A strange unease settled as he slept. 


	3. Of Talk Shows and Phantoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira ends up (briefly) on TV.

The following day, Akira and the others went back to the TV station. This time it felt more exciting. The class finally got to watch a show being filmed live. Akira sat down next to an excited Ryuji and Ann. Their eagerness rubbed off on him and he watched curiously. 

Akira sat down in the crowd, watching a Talk Show being filmed. The set up felt nostalgic in a strange sense. During the show, they brought on Akechi for an interview. It wouldn't have bothered Akira if it wasn’t for Akira’s dad’s warning lingering in the back of his mind. 

“Allow me to be blunt for just a second. What do you think of these justice-oriented Phantom Thieves.” The host asked. The topic of the Phantom Thieves quickly came up. Akira wasn’t surprised, ever since Madarame they had started to pop up in the media. A bit of discomfort eased it's way into Akira as he watched the interaction carefully. 

Akechi replied with a smile. “If they truly are heroes of justice, I sincerely hope they exist.” 

“Ohhh, so you don’t deny the possibility that they’re real?” The female host asked him. The brunette nodded.

“I may not seem like it, but I sometimes wish that Santa Claus actually existed.” Akechi chuckled. “Although if he did, I’d have to arrest him for breaking and entering.” He continued, the crowd laughed. Akechi’s tone shifted as the laughter settled. “But hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Thieves are real I believe they should be tried in a court of law.”

Beside him, Akira could feel Ryuji and Ann shift uncomfortably in their seats.

“That’s quite the statement.” The male host began. “Are they committing crimes?” 

“Some people even say that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways.” The female host. 

The young detective held nothing back as he replied. “What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime. However, they’re taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from Justice.” Akechi spoke bitterly. “More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person’s heart.” 

“You have a point." The male host agreed. "These people are calling themselves the Phantom Thieves after all.”

“Amazing as always, Akechi-kun! I could listen to you for days! You have the most radiant charisma!” The female host praised him.

Akira watched as the praise suddenly Akechi’s tone shifted back to a more joyful one. “I have to say though, I would be embarrassed if it turns out these Phantom Thieves don’t exist. If that were the case, I’d summarize it into a report as a school project.”

The change felt too quick and left Akira feeling uneasy. Though he wondered if it was just his father’s skepticism seeping into his own observations.

“Now then, let’s try asking some students the same age as Akechi-kun about the Phantom Thieves!” The announcer smiled. “First, press your button now, if you think the Phantom Thieves exist.”

Akira hesitated for just a moment, before pressing the button. When the hosts announced it the number was hardly none. _Not a surprise, we're just getting started after all._ Akira reassured himself. 

“Let’s hear from someone in the audience.” The host managed to make her way to Akira. “What do you think of the phantom thieves?”

Caught off guard, Akira became very aware of the many eyes watching them. His mind also wandered briefly to the fact that this was taped and most likely aired. _Whatever I say I have to make it count._ With a calm tone he answered. “If they are real, then in these cases I think that they did more than the police.” The crowd laughed as if he had said a joke. Akira awkwardly went a long with, cringing on the inside. _Sorry dad._

“That completely goes against your opinion you had about them being tried by law Akechi-kun.” The male host told the young detective. Akira watched as Akechi processed what Akira had said. 

“Indeed. It’s rather intriguing to hear such an acknowledgement. In that case there’s one more question I’d like to ask.” Something about Akechi's stare felt threatening. “If someone close to you, for example your friend next to you. If his heart suddenly changed… wouldn’t you think it was the work of the Phantom Thieves?”

“No not at all.” Akira replied politely.

Akechi laughed a little. “I appreciate the honesty." His tone shifted again and he sat back on the couch he was sitting on. "Still whether the Thieves’ actions are good or not. I feel there is a more important issue at hand.” 

“What do you mean?” The male host spoke.

The female host left Akira alone and he could feel a weight of relief lifted from him and the other thieves. “The matter of how they change people’s hearts. If they honestly that ability… it could be used for more than extracting confessions. It could be that ordinary crimes are actually being perpetuated by these methods.”

“You know you’re absolutely right.” The male host agreed with him.

“Oh, please don’t misunderstand. This is all purely hypothetical. It is only if people can use such a power truly exist. Either way though, this cannot be ignored. The existence of the Phantom Thieves would be nothing but a threat to our everyday lives.” Akechi looked up from his thought and turned to the hosts. “To be honest, I’m already working alongside the police to help sort out this matter.”

The mention of the police made Akira nervous. 

\--

As soon as the students were dismissed from the set, Ryuji started to curse under his breath. “He made it sound like we’re the baddies. I don’t like it.” The blonde growled. 

"But that stuff about the police... Do you think it's for real?" Akira glanced over to Ann, who seem equally bothered.

Morgana popped up and answered for him.“He can say whatever he wants. The justice of it all is something we can decide for ourselves.” 

Akira nodded. No one could do this besides the Phantom Thieves, if they could keep their goal in mind there was nothing stopping him. The three of them started to leave. 

“Oh sorry, I gotta go take a leak. Can you guys wait here? I’ll be right back.” Ryuji interrupted and left before either of his friends could say anything.

"Oh my god." Ann sighed and lightly tossed back her light hair as she placed her bag on. "I’m gonna keep going, Ok?” Ann told Akira. Akira nodded and she went off. 

Left alone, Akira leaned against the wall and pulled out his phone. He wondered how long it would take for the show to air and if his parents would see him being interviewed. 

“Oh, it’s you!” A familiar voice drew Akira’s attention. He glanced over to see detective Akechi walk towards him. “I’m glad I found you. I wanted to thank you in person. To paraphrase Hegel, advancement cannot occur without both thesis and antithesis…”

“Pardon?” Akira tilted his head and pulled away from the wall. .

“Haha, my apologies. What I mean is that our discussion was quite meaningful. Few people around me are so willing to speak their minds as freely as you did earlier. Adults are only interested in using the young, while they simply do as the adults say.” Akechi went on, his voice tinged with some resemblance of resentment. Something about his words made Akira feel uncomfortable. “I feel like our discussions could prove quite fruitful. Would you mind talking with me again?”

“If the opportunity arises, sure.” Akira moved away from the wall. He didn't intend on keeping that promise, but it's not like they would run into each other often. 

“Thank you. It makes me glad to hear that. The students from Shujin are truly quite interesting.” Akechi smiled and then blinked for a moment. “Oh I'm sorry I didn’t catch your name.”

Akira hesitated but placed his hand out and replied politely. “Akira Suou.”

"Suou?" Akechi's eyes widened in recognition. Akira had expected some question on his name or some reference to his father, but instead Akechi nodded. "Ah, I look forward to seeing you again.”

Akechi walked off and Morgana popped up by Akira’s ear to whisper to him. “Talk about attracting trouble. Still there’s probably a lot we can learn from him though.”

"Agreed I'll be careful." Akira replied. Something was definitely off about that detective fellow. 

“Was that Akechi?” Ryuji asked as he approached Akira. Akira nodded and the two of them started to walk off. “I can’t stand that high and mighty attitude!” Ryuji started to ramble on. It was going to be a long trip home. 

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to note that there will NOT be Akechi/Akira stuff in my works... so yeah...


End file.
